Stroll along the new walkway and notice the hard-packed stone dust underfoot. This isn't just any old dirt, Stawicki explains. It's been tested in a state Department of Environmental Protection laboratory and steam- rolled.

Grass shoots are beginning to sprout, and before long, little wildflowers will pepper the slopes to the river with color.

When benches and lights are installed, phase one of the project will be through. Phase two is beginning now.

The lights, designed by architect Peter Miniutti, will resemble railroad signal lights, complete with signal arms. The benches will look like the wheels of a train.

People have not yet taken to walking along the path regularly, said Stawicki, director of economic development. But once the project is complete, it may qualify as a pedestrian heaven.

Those who worked on the project hope that the scenic 10-minute stroll will bring the Mad River back into residents' lives.

Since the great flood of 1955, when half of Main Street was wiped out, there has been no development along the river. Vegetation grew wild, making the riverbank a depository for trash.

``It was a jungle in here before,'' Stawicki said. ``It was a dumping area. It was horrible.''

Now, with the pathway cleared, the river is ripe for its re-entry to town life. ``The effort is to restore the pre-flood mentality,'' said Selectman Porter C. Griffin III, who was chairman of the economic development commission when the group began the project two years ago.

``The town got the feeling it couldn't restore what it had prior to the flood. And while the memory of the flood will never go away, it's the mentality of the flood we're trying to do away with,'' said Griffin, who remembers the flood from when he was 11.

The first phase of the project cost $100,000, with 80 percent coming from a federal grant and the rest from local funding. The next phase is expected to cost about $300,000 with the same ratio coming from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.

The town's share for the second phase will be around $59,000, Stawicki said.

The second phase will focus on improving the foot bridge over the river. Engineers will determine whether the bridge is structurally sound and how to improve it aesthetically, Stawicki said.

For example, it might be possible to add a wooden front over the rusting metal on the bridge to make it look more attractive, Stawicki said. The bridge may need more serious repairs, though.

The grant also will pay for the construction of an elevated wooden platform at the base of the footbridge that will remain level over the bank's slope and extend to the river's edge.

There will be display placards and a descriptive history of the town and the river.

A special highlight will be a fountain that will spray water from the riverbank into the river. The peak of the fountain's arc will reach the height of the flood water -- around 8 feet higher than Main Street, Stawicki said.